Chapter 123 Tales of the past Iv

Chapter 123: Chapter 123 Tales of the past Iv

Luna locked herself inside the sewer and cried herself to sleep. She was tired, hungry, and sick—she could feel it in every part of her body. Her leg hadn’t completely healed. If anything, it felt as though the wound had opened even more, and now there was a strange pulse running through it. Every heartbeat seemed to send another wave of pain through her leg.

She curled herself against the cold concrete wall, hugging her knees as tears continued falling down her cheeks. "I am useless." Her voice trembled. "I am so useless. Why am I even alive?"

Luna raised her head and, in a moment of complete desperation, almost slammed it against the wall. But she stopped herself. That would be stupid. And worse, it would make Alice’s sacrifice completely useless. Alice had died trying to teach her how to survive. She couldn’t repay that by killing herself.

Luna slowly lowered her head. She looked at her hands, then her stomach, then her wounded leg. Everything about her looked terrible. She was dirty, bruised, hungry, and exhausted. Her clothes were barely holding together, and her body was becoming weaker by the hour. But she was still alive. That had to count for something.

Luna wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Enough." She sniffed. "Stop crying like some deranged pig and do something."

She couldn’t keep wallowing in regret and shame. If she wanted to survive, she had to make herself useful. At least to herself.

Luna remembered Alice’s training—the way she had shown her how to position her feet, how to move her body, how to strike, how to use an opponent’s strength against them, how to attack quickly instead of wasting energy. Alice had taught her many things, and Luna’s sharp mind had absorbed more than she realized. She just hadn’t been applying them properly. Now there was nobody left to correct her. So she would have to do it herself.

Luna pushed herself off the wall. Her injured leg nearly gave out immediately. She gritted her teeth. "No." She forced herself upright. "I can do this."

And she began training.

At first, it was terrible. She threw punches at the empty air, followed by kicks that barely had enough strength behind them to move her own body. She practiced the movements Alice had taught her. Again. Again. And again. Whenever she lost her balance, she caught herself against the wall. Whenever she fell, she got back up. She repeated the same movements until her muscles burned.

She imagined zombies standing in front of her. She imagined attackers rushing toward her. She imagined someone trying to grab her. Then she used Alice’s techniques to counter them. One strike. A dodge. A kick. A punch. A twist. A step back. Another strike.

It wasn’t perfect—it wasn’t even close—but it was better than doing nothing.

Without food or proper water, Luna continued for an entire day. Then another. She kept going. Her body became weaker, but she refused to stop. She was starving. Her throat was dry. Her stomach hurt so badly that sometimes she had to crouch down and hold it. Still, she continued.

Until eventually, her body simply refused to cooperate.

Luna stumbled forward and grabbed the edge of the wall. Her breathing became rough. "I can’t..." Her knees gave out. She collapsed onto the ground.

For a moment, she couldn’t even lift her head. This was too much. If she went another day without eating, she could actually die.

Luna slowly crawled toward the edge of the wall and looked back at the scattered containers. She searched through them. Nothing. She checked again. Nothing. There wasn’t even a piece of bread. No bottle of water. Nothing.

Her stomach twisted painfully. The reality finally dawned on her. If she wanted to live longer, she had to go outside and find food. Otherwise, she would starve to death right here.

Which one was better? Of course, neither. But there was no choice left.

Hunger gnawed at her stomach, clawing deeply at her insides. It felt as though her intestines were twisting themselves into knots. Her stomach growled so loudly that she almost laughed. "My worms are probably eating me alive at this point." She groaned in pain.

Trying to stand, Luna pushed herself against the wall. Her legs felt rooted to the ground. She couldn’t move. Then her eyes landed on the sewer water behind her. She stared at it. Her mouth was dry. Her throat felt like sandpaper.

Luna knew exactly what that water was. She knew it was filthy. She knew it was disgusting. She knew drinking it could make her even sicker. But right now, her mind didn’t care. She needed water. Just one drop. One drop would be enough.

Luna slowly began crawling toward it. "Just a drop..." Her painful whisper echoed through the sewer. "Just one drop on my tongue, please."

She dragged herself forward until she finally reached the water. Luna lay flat on the ground. She dipped her hand into the dirty water, then brought it to her mouth. She drank. She didn’t think. She didn’t hesitate. She simply gulped it down. Again. And again. And again. It was disgusting. But to Luna, it tasted like heaven. She kept drinking until her face felt slightly refreshed.

Finally, she fell backward, gasping for breath. At least she had some strength now. Hunger was still there, but perhaps she could manage to scavenge something.

Luna slowly sneaked out of the sewer. She tiptoed around like a criminal, keeping her body close to the walls. Her legs felt strangely light. She listened. A growl echoed nearby. Then another. Then a terrifying roar.

Zombies were circling the upper floor of the sewer, searching for anything they could find. Luna immediately pressed herself against the wall. She watched them carefully. The upper floor was part of the abandoned supermarket she had originally been trying to raid. And right now, there were enough zombies outside to make even breathing feel dangerous.

Luna stayed hidden. She waited. Then she spotted a trash can. Her eyes lit up. She slowly moved toward it. But when she looked inside, her face fell. "Fuck!" She stared at the contents. "Why can’t they just be food?" She nearly cried.

The trash was filled with rotten waste. Some of it had turned completely stale. There were even maggots crawling through some of the remains. But Luna didn’t care anymore. Food was food. She stepped closer.

Then she froze. There were a dozen zombies gathered around the corner. Luna immediately ducked back. "Damn it."

She needed a distraction. Her eyes searched the ground. Then she spotted a stone. Perfect. Luna picked it up. She waited. The zombies were facing away from her. She threw the stone directly at the trash can. Clang! The loud sound echoed through the area. Every zombie turned toward it. One growled. Another moved closer. Then another. Within seconds, the entire group staggered toward the noise.

Luna held her breath. One by one, they disappeared around the corner. She waited another few seconds. Then she rushed toward the trash can. She dug through it desperately.

There! Bread. More than one piece. They were covered in a horrible smell, and the bread had already turned dark from rot. There were maggots crawling around some of them. Luna stared at it. Normally, she would have thrown it away immediately. But this wasn’t normal anymore. She shoved the bread into her pocket. "Sorry, maggots."

She moved farther. At the edge of the base, she found a milk can. It was also packed with maggots. Luna didn’t even hesitate. She grabbed it. "You’re coming with me." She shoved everything into her pockets and quickly turned around.

But before she could take another step—Snap. A zombie’s neck suddenly twisted in her direction. Luna froze. The creature stared directly at her. For a moment, she could swear she saw its mouth twist into something that almost looked like a grin. It had found food. Fresh food. Her.

The zombie suddenly charged. Then another. Then another. Within seconds, the entire horde rushed toward her like a flood.

Luna’s eyes widened. "Shit!" She turned to run. But her injured leg immediately betrayed her. She wasn’t going to make it far. There was no way.

Luna gritted her teeth. Then she remembered Alice—her lessons, her punches, her kicks, her warnings. She wasn’t perfect. Not even close. But surrendering and allowing herself to be eaten wasn’t an option.

"Come on." Luna clenched her fists. "I can do this."

The first zombie lunged. Luna moved to the side and kicked it as hard as she could. The zombie stumbled. She immediately followed with a punch, driving her fist straight into its rotten head. It dropped.

Another came. Luna twisted her body and kicked it away. She followed with another strike. Then another. Her movements weren’t perfect, but they were becoming faster. She was finally using the techniques Alice had taught her. Dodge. Strike. Move. Don’t hesitate.

Luna continued fighting. One zombie. Then another. Then another. She struck with everything she had. But the horde was too large.

One zombie that had been watching her suddenly rushed forward. It leaped directly toward her injured leg. Luna didn’t have time to react. Its teeth sank into her flesh. "Aghhhhh!" The zombie tore away a huge piece of flesh. Luna let out a horrifying gasp. Blood poured from the wound. She fell to the ground. Her leg had been torn open again. The pain was unbearable.

But she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t.

Luna used her good leg to kick the zombie away. The kick was so hard that the creature’s head snapped backward. Another zombie grabbed her. Luna struck it. Another came. She kicked. Another. She punched. She kept fighting despite the pain. But her wounded leg was becoming useless. She screamed as another wave of pain shot through her body.

"Get away from me!"

She forced herself up. She limped. One step. Another. She searched desperately for somewhere safe. But there was nowhere. Nowhere was safe anymore.

Zombies were everywhere. And the mutated creatures were multiplying. Gigantic ants crawled across the streets. Lions and tigers had become monstrous, half-dead creatures, tearing through survivors with terrifying strength. The world was becoming more dangerous by the minute.

Luna looked around desperately. There was only one place left. Her family. Going back to them was the only solution.

She hated the thought. She knew what they had done to her. She knew how they treated her. But she had nowhere else to go.

A massive horde suddenly spotted her. They rushed toward her. Luna’s heart nearly stopped. She limped as fast as she could. "Please..." Her breathing became ragged. "Please, just let me make it."

The zombies chased after her. Luna forced her body forward. Every step felt like fire. Blood dripped down her leg. Her vision blurred.

But then she saw it. The gate. Her family’s safe zone.

Luna nearly collapsed from relief. She threw herself toward it. "Open!" She slammed both hands against the gate. "Please!"

The zombies were getting closer. Luna pounded against the door with every ounce of strength left in her body. "OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR!" Her voice cracked. "PLEASE!" She hit the gate again. And again. And again. "I’M HERE!" Her tears fell freely now. "Please let me in!"

Behind her, the horde was getting closer. Luna pressed her bloody hands against the gate. She didn’t care about her pride anymore. She didn’t care about what Alice had said. She just wanted to live.

"Please..." Her voice became a whisper. "I’m your family."

She slammed her fist against the door one final time. "OPEN THE DOOR!"